Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva (left) and Justice Minister Miglena Tacheva (right) were among the participants of the conference focused on the misuse of European funds. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgaria must prove that it deserves its European membership, according to the statement of Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva at the official opening Wednesday of a conference focused on the misuse of European funds.
The conference is held in Sofia and the speakers include Interior Minister Mihail Mikov, Justice Minister Miglena Tacheva, Dr. Marc Meinardus, Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Miklos Marshall, Director of Transparency International for Europe and Central Asia.
The Interior Minister said that the presence of corruption elements was typical everywhere where the misuse of European funds was involved. According to Mikov, this was the main problem when attempting to prove crimes through the legal process. The Minister further stated that he expected the involvement of organizations for protection of the law and of other countries members of the European Union (EU) in revealing such crimes.
The Justice Minister pointed out that we must not forget the word "prevention" as it often happens at the moment. Tacheva strongly criticized the inactivity of controlling and monitoring institutions comparing it with accessory to the crime.